Kidney stones are a common cause of morbidity, with a lifetime worldwide prevalence of 5-10%. In the absence of prevention, recurrence is common, with over 50% of patients having a recurrent stone episode within 5-10 years of their first stone. The most common stone type is calcium oxalate. A second type of stone that may occur is calcium phosphate. Calcium-based stones comprise roughly 80% of all stones. At least 10% of stones are composed of uric acid and about 1% of stones (and 6% of stones in children) are composed of cystine.
Although it is considered that patients are amenable to modifying their eating and drinking habits in preference to taking prescription pills for the prevention of various conditions, there is no beverage currently available that is designed to increase urine citrate and pH, while reducing urinary calcium.